South Korea’s leading mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. will open an online platform next week that allows outsiders to easily create artificial intelligence (AI) services that would bolster its own voice assistant NUGU.

The website (developers.nugu.co.kr) will be available to the public on Oct. 24, the Korean company said in a press conference on Wednesday.

The site consists of NUGU Play Kit, a program to develop AI services, and NUGU Play Biz, a user and device controller system. The development process is made more intuitive thanks to the graphical user interface. It is also equipped with an engine that processes the entire procedure from speech to response so that anyone can use the program without knowing how to write complex code.

SK Telecom has run a pilot version of the website since June to fine-tune the system and rolled out customized AI services in collaboration with the convenience store operator CU and Vista Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul.

Users can simply sign up on the website to start making their own AI services. After an assessment period that tests various factors including harmful contents and payment options, the services would be ready for distribution and operation.

SK Telecom plans to unveil a range of new NUGU services with its many business partners. This month, it will add a free music service and a calendar that uploads schedules of boy bands and girl groups. It is also in talks with about 40 businesses, including Yoons English School, Paradise Hotel and Eduhansol, to jointly develop new services.

With the launch of the website, the company will also host a conference introducing NUGU developers and run a competition awarding top developers with a total prize pot of 84 million won ($74,500).

SK Telecom launched its AI-powered voice assistant NUGU in September 2016. The service now has more than 6 million monthly active users. The company plans to release an AI remote control for NUGU in the coming months and a NUGU software development kit early next year to diversify the use of its voice assistant in more devices.

By Kim Gyu-sik and Kim Hyo-jin

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